Books for children should be exciting and grab their attention, encouraging them to pick up books and lose themselves in a good story and even take away a good message from it. Well, that’s just what the books in The Wolfsong Series by Saviour Pirotta do. The Wolfsong Series is a collection of four junior fiction adventure stories for children aged 7 years old and upwards. They are a series of historical fiction books set in the Stone Age, circa 2500BC, in the Neolithic era (around the end of the Stone Age and the beginning of the Bronze Age). I really enjoyed the first three titles in the series and now the series is coming to an end with the fourth and final book – The Wolf’s Song.
The protagonist of the stories, Wolf, started his adventure with a missing bird-skull amulet on Great Island in The Islands (what we would call today The Orkneys, Scotland). His adventures then see him travel down to Stone Henge (The Whispering Stones), across to Lasscaux in France and onto The Growling Island (aka Sicily, Italy), then to Fire Mountain (or as we would call it, Mount Etna) before finally reaching The Island at the Centre of the World (Malta). The Island at the Centre of the World is where we will start one more perilous adventure with Wolf and his friends to fulfil his journey.
You really do need to read the previous novel in the series before reading this one to be able to follow Wolf’s quest to regain his magic amulet and his journey to becoming a fully-fledged shaman.
Overall, the three previous books have made an excellent historical action-adventure story and the concluding adventure continues in the same vein and rounds off the series very nicely. The characters featured throughout this books, as well as the previous three, are strong and likeable, ones that boys and girls can relate to and enjoy reading about. They deal with issues such as isolation, self-esteem, friendships, making mistakes and learning from them.
Book four sees Wolf reunited with his bird-skull amulet that he has followed around the world to retrieve. Once back in his possession his starts to see visions of turmoil and rebirth, of creatures with teeth waiting in the dark. When Wolf is tricked into awakening the Sleeping Goddess Wolf’s whole world will be caught in her fury and to save himself, his friends and his family he must embark on one last quest and admit his mistakes, learning from them to finally become a true and respected shaman.
The Wolf’s Song, along with the rest of the rest of the series, is a very a good story of courage, discovery, determination, confidence, self-belief, kindness, family and friendship. A coming of age journey which for Wolf is physically, emotionally and mentally challenging.
The story is told thousands of years ago but is still relevant to readers of today and is expertly told so that young readers will not only understand the meanings within the story but also to fully enjoy the tales of Wolf and his friends. Set in the Neolithic era it is also packed with interesting facts that engage the reader and help them learn a bit more about history and other time periods, including more about Skara Brae, the best-preserved Neolithic settlement in Western Europe and part of the UNESCO Heart of Neolithic Orkney World Heritage site (it features a fictional retelling of the mystery surrounding Skara Brae, taught as part of school curriculum). The historical aspects mentioned throughout the book are faithful to Stone Age life, customs and culture.
The Wolf’s Song is a well-told story that concludes the series nicely. With its strong characters that will appeal to all readers and helping children to see that taking responsibility, rectifying mistakes and dealing with emotions are all excellent qualities to have, it is an excellent adventure story packed with myths and legends, gods, goddesses and magic that a lot can be learnt from as well as a story that will engage and thrill readers.
An excellent conclusion to a wonderful series about discovery and doing the right thing.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £6.99 (Paperback)
For more information, visit maverickbooks.co.uk. Available to buy from Amazon here.
